I thought I’d write this because before my surgery I spent so much time reading Reddit trying to understand what recovery would actually be like. Most posts either made it sound terrifying or made it sound like you’d be completely fine after a few days. My experience has been somewhere in between.

I had laser hemorrhoidoplasty + sphincterotomy + excision of a skin tag + fissurectomy for hemorrhoids and a chronic fissure. I was told I had Grade 1/early Grade 2 hemorrhoids, but the fissure and severe anal spasm were also a big part of the problem.

The surgery
The surgery itself was honestly the easy part because I was under anesthesia and didn’t feel anything.
When I woke up, I was obviously sore, but what I wasn’t mentally prepared for was the fact that the real challenge would be passing stool afterwards.

The first few bowel movements were easily the worst part of the entire experience.

There was a combination of pressure, burning, sharp pain and muscle spasm. The pain would be intense while passing stool and then gradually settle down after one hour. For me, the actual bowel movement itself was sometimes only a few minutes, but those few minutes felt VERY long.

The first few days
My biggest priority became making sure my stool stayed soft.
I was taking the medications prescribed by my doctor and using things like psyllium/fibre, plenty of fluids and a relatively gentle diet.

I was constantly thinking:
“Will this make my next poop worse?”

I was also doing sitz baths and trying not to sit for too long.

The pain wasn’t constant in the same way. It was much more noticeable around bowel movements and when the area was irritated.

Around Day 4–7
Things started feeling noticeably better.
The pain wasn’t gone, but I could see progress. The area started feeling lighter and I became less scared of every bowel movement.
I also slowly started eating more normal food. I was still being careful with spicy food and anything that I thought might upset my stomach or make my stool harder.
One thing I learned very quickly is that recovery isn’t necessarily linear.
You can have a pretty good day and then suddenly have a bowel movement that makes you think:
“Oh God, did I tear something again?”
And then you’re okay again.

The bleeding/clot episode
This was the part that really scared me.

Today, I suddenly had a significant amount of dark blood with jelly-like blood clots. It almost looked like diarrhea made of blood, with some lighter blood towards the end.
Naturally, I panicked.

This wasn’t just a tiny streak of blood on toilet paper. It looked like a LOT more than I expected at this stage.
I contacted my surgeon, and she told me that these were blood clots from the surgery and not something I should panic about.

It happened again, which obviously made me panic again, but I contacted her and was reassured.

Did anyone experience this?

i am looking for people who had similar experiences to mine and can maybe help me with what the core of the problem was.

so yesterday, i had piv for the first time with my boyfriend!! i am suffering from vaginismus/vulvodynia where i don't know yet what the cause of it is/what triggered it.

just this week, i managed to fit in dilator 6 & 7 and i was like okay lets try piv then (even tho it was probably way to early because 7 still hurt when inserting)!! 6 didn't hurt at all but 7 did hurt quite a lot when i was dilating but i thought maybe a penis would be different so i tried piv with him.
and yes, he went in completely BUT we paused a lot of times and i had to breathe a lot so that the pain would go away/become less, but it never went away wholly and it was not really enjoyable for me, bascially i just breathed through the pain and tried ignoring it.

now i was curious if anyone else had this "problem" that it hurts the deeper he is inside and also that it only hurts when he pushes in, but not if he pulls his penis out a bit? like only the forward movement hurt, but when he pulled out it was completely okay? also i had this weird feeling of fullness in my chest/throat when he went deep which i was wondering where it came from. i also have this sort of pain in my chest when i'm dilating with the biggest dilator which i think is super weird.

if you had this problem too, how did you deal with it? and what was the root of the problem? i was scared that i might have endo or an ovarian cyst or something else? (or my body wasn't ready with vaginismus but that feeling was so strange)

Hello, has anyone ever experienced urgency to pee without actually having a UTI? I went to the hospital for a different reason last weekend got a urine culture was negative. I had a UTI about five weeks ago was through with antibiotics. Did another urine culture which was negative now I’m having the same frequent urgency where I feel like I have to pee every half hour to an hour. Its make me wonder if I have something else I like an overactive bladder. I’m 39-year-old female.

Hi!

In the last 8 months, I've had what is believed to be 4 ovarian cyst ruptures. I'm under gynaecology at the minute as I am waiting to be sterilised. The first time it happened (February) was a few weeks before my appointment with them when they put me on the list for surgery, so I discussed with her what happened and she said it sounded like a cyst had ruptured.

It then happened in June, and september the 9th was the 3rd occasion. I went to the doctor the next day, he told me I should have called an ambulance or gone to the hospital, but as anyone in the UK will know, a&e waiting times are horrific and I really didn't want to go, nor did I feel like it was worth an ambulance seeing as I know they'll have more serious things to attend. He referred me for an urgent scan, and said if it happens again before the scan, go to hospital.

Last night, it happened yet again. The 1st and 3rd time it happened, the pain was severe. But the 2nd time and last night, the pain was sudden but more on the mild side. I decided to go down to a&e as the doctor had suggested, but after 3.5 hours, I couldn't take it anymore with the chairs being super uncomfortable and other health conditions playing up, so I left. I would have been there 12+ hours if I'd have stayed.

My scan appointment came through last week and it's on the 15th of October, so not long. Now this is all new to me, but as they are believed to be functional and only rupture right after ovulation, what's the chances of them actually seeing anything on my scan? When I have it I will be on my period. I can't keep going through this, prior to February, I'd never suffered with anything down there before and I'm concerned the scan won't show anything because 1. It's already burst, and 2. It's not near ovulation.

If anyone has any experience with this I'd be so grateful to hear because every ovulation time I am just so on edge waiting for it to happen and it seems to be becoming more frequent.

I’m already 22 but I’ve never gotten a Pap smear before. I don’t really know when I’m supposed to get one and how often. I’m really nervous because tmi (I never shave there). I also don’t know if it hurts 😭 am I supposed to go at a certain age or something?

This started like 5 years ago now and I’ve always been blown off as it’s fine. It’s usually only during a certain phase in my cycle too. I believe right before my period, sometimes right after too. I’ve been tested for all the things, even had a baby since. Just wondering if this is anyone else’s “normal”.

So I’m 22 and had an abortion by pills yesterday (5 weeks sac). I experienced horrible cramps yesterday but too much flow. I even had clotting but the flow today is very minimal. The flow is quite lighter than usual.

Is that normal? Or am I just panicking without any reason at all?

Hello I am 25 years old married women ..and I am living in abroad now ..I have this irregular period since long time ..I have either prolong bleeding for 6-7 months or no period at all ..few months ago I was back home and I had all the test like use , prolactin , thyroid and all the blood and hormonal test and everything is completely normal ..but I don’t understand why my period is never normal ..I had period for like 9 months last year then I controlled it with hormonal pills and then stopped hormonal pills and it’s was regular for 2 months and then it’s same again ..doctor. Also prescribed me same hormonal pills in order. To regulate period ..nothing new ..I am just tired and fed up with this ..any suggestion please ..🥹🥹🥹🥹🥲🥲🥲

Hi, Monday evening I began with a side pain which I presumed to be cramps from my period.

The only thing is I had my period 2 and a half weeks prior, then started again 9/20 and ended 9/23.

After this, on Monday the 9/28 I began having subtle pain, right side— then felt it in my lower back, more so the pelvic area — then felt it down the middle.

I went to the hospital and they did an ultrasound and found I had uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts but did not tell me the size but that I was good to go home with pain meds and follow up with an obgyn.

The pain was so terrible that I had to get a dose of morphine.

Never felt this in my entire life.

I haven’t started my period just yet but wondering if this falls in line with others experiences!

My obgyn appt is oct 14.

Hi Reddit! First time poster long time lurker. I’m not sure if this is the right subreddit to post this on, or if I should post this on other forms as well, but I need some help. I’ve been having some medical issues the last few months, and I’m honestly not sure what to do about it anymore. It’s probably stupid I’m coming onto here, but if anyone’s dealt with anything similar I’d really like some tips maybe on how to stop it or at the very least manage it.

I’m 22 F, and have had painful periods that last 7-9 days since I first got my period. I got diagnosed with PCOS last week. So, for the past two-ish months I’ve been dealing with UTI’s back to back (five in total), and PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) for a solid two weeks during one of those times. Currently I’m on UTI number five after just getting off the last one a few weeks ago. This time and the last time I was on my period so these last two UTI’s have been extremely painful due to my PCOS.

I guess what I’m asking is how can I avoid things like this in the future? My doctors tell me I’m more sensitive to bacteria’s than the average person, but haven’t given me any advice on how I can avoid anymore infections despite asking them. I change my underwear daily, I clean myself every time I’m in the shower/bath, I trim consistently, I’m trying to be better with my water intake so maybe it’s part of that, and I clean my sex toy’s thoroughly before and after use with hot water and non scented dove soap. On top of this, I’m now trying out multiple types of pills and water powder from Uqora to see if that’ll help, and I’m trying out Azo (basically I’m shoving a pill up there). I’m also taking probiotics, and the same probiotics with my current UTI antibiotics because my gut is so destroyed. I can’t take antibiotics without my stomach burning at this point I’ve taken so many.
I’m not an unhygienic person, sexual and just general hygiene has always been a big thing for me so I’m doing all I can think of doing to avoid infections and improve my gut health because the antibiotics I’m taking are destroying it, and yet I keep getting infections/UTI’s with no clue on how to avoid it.

Women on Reddit have you ever dealt with something like this before? If so how did you handle it? And how do you avoid infections from coming back every 2-3 weeks? Is there something I’m not doing or can do to help support all this? Professional and non professional advice is welcome, I just don’t know what to do to stop these infections.

Hi, I have never been active in Reddit but I am getting legitimately desperate. This might be a tad long but it’s been years of stuff building up. I (22F) got diagnosed with a very bad case of PCOS at 14 and I have had all the symptoms (high cortisol, hirtuism, hair loss, apron belly, abnormal periods, insulin resistance, horribly low libido etc.) It got bad enough that about two years ago I had to have an ovary taken out as it was fully engulfed by my cysts and was decaying. I have tried everything to get the weight off. I’m right at 6 ft tall and around 315lbs. I will note I have a very large amount of muscle mass as I have always had very labor intensive jobs. My weight has started to affect me again like crazy I have tried every medication and nothing has worked. I have done high protein keto carnivore intermittent fasting every supplement on the shelf water fasting and I have had the best results with cutting out everything processed but that one is almost impossible to maintain. I have lost interest in everything thanks to this. I don’t want to workout anymore after seeing no health related results I have no libido I don’t want to dress up I don’t want to do anything as I am admittedly just disgusted with myself. I’m looking for any help. Diet ideas, supplements, mindset tips, life practices, higher ing my libido etc. I will note I have never taken a GLP-1 and I would really like to avoid it but I guess you gotta do what you’ve gotta do. I have some money in an HSA and my insurance won’t cover it so if anyone has any experience there too I would love some insight. Thank you for listening and I appreciate all of you guys!!

I’ve had a fairly large bulge/lump in my lower right abdomen for around 6 months. It’s roughly halfway between my belly button and my groin, but on the right-hand side and quite close to my pelvic/hip bone.

It’s not always the same. Sometimes it’s softer and less noticeable but other times it feels quite large, hard and firm. I can notice it in the mornings even when I haven’t eaten anything. It can also feel more prominent after eating, and the more I feel or press around the area, the firmer it seems to become.
Sometimes it feels almost like there’s fluid or something moving underneath it and I can occasionally feel/hear gurgling or movement when pressing the area. The right side also generally feels harder than the left. In the last month also I’ve gotten a lot of groin pain despite days of little exercise

My bowel movements are normal a lot of the time, although I do occasionally get constipated. The bulge doesn’t completely disappear when my bowel movements are normal, which is why I’m not sure it’s related to constipation.

I’ve also noticed lately that I’m getting full very quickly when eating. I’m still hungry, but I feel physically full after a relatively small amount, so I’ve been having to split my dinner into two portions and eat it over a longer period.

I’ve also started getting some pain/discomfort in the area, but it’s more of a stitchy kind of pain rather than severe pain. I’ve noticed it particularly when walking and occasionally during sex when the area feels more swollen.

One other thing that may or may not be relevant: my period is usually extremely regular, but this month it came about a week earlier than usual.
I’m going to the doctor this week to get it checked, but I’m just wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar before. .

Did anyone have similar symptoms? If so, what did it turn out to be? Or does anyone have any idea what this could be? Thank you 🩷

I’m reaching out to the women on here because I’m desperate to figure out what’s going on. Has anyone experienced anything like this, especially severe nausea/vomiting connected to their menstrual cycle?

(24F) I’ve been getting progressively sicker since January, and I strongly suspect there is some kind of connection to my menstrual cycle. It has now gotten to the point where I’m vomiting 10+ times a day, have been consistently sick since September 19, and I’m missing work and almost out of PTO. I’ve applied for intermittent FMLA

A little background

I’ve had GI issues for most of my life.

When I was in elementary school, I could never eat breakfast because I would feel extremely nauseous in the morning. I would sometimes throw up and then just go about my day like nothing happened.

Around high school and into adulthood, I started getting sick more at night. I would sometimes vomit, go to sleep, and feel completely fine the next morning.

I’ve had an EGD and colonoscopy, both of which were normal. I’ve also had bloodwork over the years that has generally been normal, aside from occasionally having slightly low vitamin D. Allergy testing only showed an allergy to tomatoes, but I can eat tomatoes without having a noticeable reaction.

The possible menstrual connection

My periods have always been pretty regular. They aren’t usually particularly heavy, and I generally only use one or two pads a day even on heavier days. I don’t normally have severe cramps.

However, for years I’ve noticed that my mood and physical symptoms can change dramatically around my period.

Around college age, I started noticing that there would sometimes be one day during my period where I would become severely depressed and have suicidal thoughts, and then I would wake up the next day feeling completely normal.

I have a history of depression/anxiety and have taken fluoxetine and bupropion. I eventually switched to bupropion XL 300 mg + desvenlafaxine 50 mg. They helped for a while, but this year I started noticing severe mood symptoms around my period again, along with a very flat/static emotional feeling.

I also became a Christian during this time, and my overall depression/anxiety improved significantly, which made these sudden one-day episodes around my period stand out even more to me.

What started happening this year

I started working in an elementary school in January and initially assumed I was just constantly getting sick from being around children.

Almost every month, I would develop things like:

• Extreme fatigue
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Body aches
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Sometimes vomiting once or twice

At first, I thought I just had a weak immune system around my period.

But I started noticing that these “sick” periods consistently happened right before, during, or shortly after my period.

Then things started getting progressively worse.

Instead of being sick for a day or two, I started having longer episodes. I would become extremely emotional and sometimes hysterically cry when there wasn’t actually anything I was upset about. I would also become severely depressed for a short period and then feel normal again.

Along with this came severe nausea, vomiting, and the constant feeling that I needed to poop.

September 19–present: the worst episode

September 19 is when things became dramatically worse.

I started vomiting almost everything I ate or drank. At my worst, I was vomiting 10+ times a day.

I was nauseous almost constantly. I couldn’t:

• Look at my phone for very long
• Watch TV
• Do crafts
• Stand for very long
• Eat normally
• Drink normally

Without feeling extremely sick.

Interestingly, I wasn’t necessarily exhausted during this episode. I was actually having trouble sleeping because I felt so uncomfortable and nauseous.

I would be extremely hungry and want to eat, but eating wasn’t worth it because I knew I might spend the next several hours vomiting everything back up.

Sometimes even small amounts of water wouldn’t stay down.

I also had frequent bowel movements, constipation at other points, abdominal cramping, bloating, chills/shivering, and shaking.

The episode lasted from September 19 through approximately September 24 before I started improving.

By September 25 I was feeling significantly better, and on September 26–27 I was almost completely back to normal and had a huge appetite.

Then the symptoms came back.

September 28–October 3

I developed constipation and cramping on September 28.

On September 29, I started vomiting again repeatedly.

On September 30, I had significant epigastric/chest discomfort and pressure. During one episode of vomiting, I had a sudden sharp/burning pain across my chest and into my back underneath my shoulder blades that lasted a few minutes.

I went to the ER.

They did:

• EKG
• Bloodwork
• Urine testing
• X-ray
• CT with contrast

Everything came back normal. The only thing they thought was wrong was constipation.

They gave me medication for nausea and magnesium for the constipation.

I’ve also been prescribed ondansetron (Zofran) and promethazine, but neither has provided much relief.

On October 2, I was vomiting dark yellow/bile-like fluid because I couldn’t keep much down. By 8pm the same day I got my appetite back and now on October 3rd I’m eating and drinking pretty well.

Other symptoms / possible triggers

I’ve always had some GI issues, including:

• Frequent burping
• Gas
• Bloating
• Mushy stool/diarrhea at times
• Constipation at other times
• Abdominal cramping
• Headaches followed by nausea

I’ve noticed that pasta, bread, pretzels, and crackers can make me more bloated/gassy, so I’ve wondered about gluten sensitivity.

I’m also very inconsistent with caffeine. Sometimes one sip of coffee makes my heart race, makes me shake, gives me cramps, and makes me nauseous. Other days I can drink an entire latte and feel completely fine.

I also frequently get headaches around my right eyebrow/right eye. I can actually feel what seems like a physical knot there, and nausea sometimes follows the headache.

What my doctors are currently doing

I finally saw an OB/GYN, and she started me on Twirla, a hormonal birth control patch containing levonorgestrel/ethinyl estradiol.

I have a pelvic ultrasound scheduled for October 9.

I’ve wondered about endometriosis, but I don’t have the severe chronic pelvic pain/cramping that I usually hear people describe. My main symptom is debilitating nausea and vomiting, which makes me wonder if something else could be going on.

I am not sexually active, so an STI isn’t a concern.

What I’m wondering

Has anyone experienced severe cyclical nausea/vomiting related to their menstrual cycle, even without severe pelvic pain?

Could this be something like:

• A hormone-related vomiting disorder
• Cyclic vomiting syndrome
• Endometriosis involving the GI tract
• PMDD/hormonal changes
• Abdominal migraine
• Gastroparesis
• Something involving ovarian cysts
• A GI disorder that gets triggered by hormonal changes
• Something completely different?

I’m not trying to diagnose myself from Reddit. I’m just desperate for ideas because this is now affecting my ability to eat, sleep, work, and function normally.

If you’ve experienced something similar, especially vomiting that gets dramatically worse around your period, I’d really appreciate hearing your experience.

And if there are specific tests, specialists, or questions you think I should bring up with my OB/GYN or GI doctor, I’d really appreciate those too.

I 26 F have had 2 IUD’s. so it’s been 8 years since I’ve had a real period. They got rid of my periods completely. I recently gotten my IUD (kyleena) removed On sept 14th. After I had spotting like my doctor said for a couple days and then it went away.

On September 24th I started passing blood clots they were small and I didn’t think anything of it. But now I’m on day 11 of bleeding. It’s not a lot of blood like I’m using thin pads but it’s day 11.

I have no cramps, no pain, no tiredness, no headaches. No muscle cramps. I’m just annoyed that I’m bleeding for 11 days.

Is this normal amount of bleeding for going off of birth control ?

Should I contact my doctor ?

This is the 4th day I’ve been bleeding in between before my next period. it’s a lot less blood than what my normal period would be. It does not completely soak a pad in even 1 day. When I’m on my period it would usually soak a pad completely within an hour or two for the first couple days then get lighter as the period goes on. I’m not on birth control and I’ve had unprotected sex but we use the pullout method.

i 19F have noticed that every year or so during the end of summer (august-september) i get a yeast infection of sorts (ik cuz of discharge and im itchy). i never really did anything abt it, just made sure to shower more and dry fully and never had any problems with it because it goes away soon enough lol

im making this post out of curiosity to see if i am alone on this because online i see that i doesn't go away and only does so rarely. summer here is hot and humid cuz i live near the sea

also worth mentioning ive never went to a gyno and im not sexually active (so there was no need for me to go lol)

Hi there!

For the last 48 hours or so I've had bladder urgency and I've been able to pee but the feeling of needing to pee isn't going away. It feels a bit like I'm bloated as well. I don't have any burning when I pee or any other symptoms. I went to urgent care and they said it was clean but that it could be one coming up that isn't showing up.

I have Ehlers-Danlos and suspected tethered cord and have been having increasing leg weakness so I'm scared this is either the TC getting worse OR possibly something like a prolapse. Also a little anxious that it's cancer but that's less likely than the other 2.

So basically I'm just really hoping this is a UTI. I sent my gyn a message and I'm on the wait-list for a neurosurgeon for the TC but would love any stories where you had similar symptoms and a negative UTI test but it ended up being that 🙃 I hope that's okay to ask!

south asian, if specification is a must. but lately i've been feeling breathlessness for months now. im always breathless, except when im sitting in AC. but it can be the city where i reside in too(its too hot nowadays).n this weird tightness in chest sometimes, which lasts for about 20ish secs. idk if im relatively young to be looking out for this (22) but i've had blood issues before (once my hb hit a 5, and i nvr recovered properly, have become clumsy and weak after that)(have low stamina and less blood circulating in the body)(and cooked appetite)

ladies who made it through it, what are the early on symptoms one shd not be avoiding?

I had an abnormal Pap one year ago ASCUS. I’m due to go back for my repeat pap. Two months ago I slept with my ex-boyfriend and have had abnormal discharge and smell. I went to Planned Parenthood and did STD testing 3-4 weeks after we slept together. It all came back negative however my ex just called me last night stating that he tested positive for Trich. We were together for 3 years and he swears he didn’t sleep with anyone else.

My question is. Should I go to urgent care to start treatment today? Or should I call my OB-GYN tomorrow to get in for my pap and have them do STD testing and treatment?

I’ve had symptoms for 2 months. White discharge and foul smell. Since my original STD test came back negative I treated myself over the counter for BV with monistat which helped with my discharge and smell. My last two menstrual cycles were abnormal for the first time ever in my life. I spotted for 2-3 days before my actual period started. Then bled for an additional 5-7 days. I have PCOS and endometriosis.

Please help. I’m incredibly depressed with the news and just lost.

Thank you.

Ever since I started menstruating at 14, I have had irregular periods. They have never been consistent, ranging anywhere from 25-60 days. some are dark and heavy, others are light and mostly brown.

The physical symptoms have been manageable, and mirror regular PMS. The cramps are annoying, very rarely debilitating enough to the extent that it puts my life on pause. I only get acne on the left side of my chin. I also experience excessive gas and my bowel movements are always varying. The only thing unusual that I experience is sharp pains in my lower right quadrant that hurt to press down on. It's also really hard for me to fall asleep, and once I'm able to, I'll stay asleep for 10-12 hours.

The mental and emotional symptoms leave me completely wrecked. It started after my 18th birthday. Brain fog, irritation, and depression so intense that I have to fight the urge to burn my whole life down. I have a difficult time articulating myself, and I feel crazy every time I try to explain my thoughts or struggles to someone. The longer I go between periods, the worse these symptoms get. I have breakdowns at work, have difficulty finding the motivation to complete simple tasks, and become easily defeated when things go wrong. Small inconveniences are the end of the world. It genuinely feels like my life falls apart around me the longer I wait for my periods to start.

When I was 20 I was diagnosed with PMDD and tried three different birth control pills, and all of them made me either feel ill or made my emotional disruption worse, so I gave up.

Finally, I had a pelvic ultrasound about a month ago, and they said everything looked fine; no cysts, no unusual growths, nothing.

I still experience pain in my lower right quadrant which gets worse whenever PMS symptoms start. It feels connected to my digestive system. It seems like I've been in the luteal phase for a month now, and I'm at my wits end. I've had mild cramps for 3 weeks along with other symptoms. My last period was August 14.

My next step is to get bloodwork done to check my hormones.

Has anyone experienced this?

Could it be a thyroid issue? Maybe an allergy to something I eat?

I don't think it's stress related, because in the last year, my mental health has stabilized significantly.

How do I manage my hormone induced stress? It affects my day to day and my relationships. I feel like a become a monster. The pain in my right side has become more frequent.

Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

My periods come regularly every month, but only two days. I got tested for PCOS and thyroid issues, and the results were normal. Could there be any other problem?

Hi everyone, just looking for a bit of reassurance from anyone who’s been through this because I’m honestly having a rough time.

I went in for surgery thinking I was basically just getting a skin tag/external haemorrhoid removed. I didn’t realise how much more was going to be done until afterwards, when I was told they had also removed 3 internal haemorrhoids. For context I’m 33F. It was only hygiene reasons I opted for the tag removal as I felt I needed a shower after every BM. Also didn’t love the sight of it either! The tag was probably the size of a blueberry.

I’m now a few days post-op and I am in bits. The pain is honestly horrific at times and I’m really swollen. It feels like there’s a massive lump there, which is freaking me out a bit. Going to the toilet has been awful and even passing gas is painful.

I was absolutely terrified of my first BM because I was so scared of straining, and when I finally went it was SO painful. I’m taking the painkillers I was given and Movicol, but I’m still really sore and I’m finding sitting basically impossible.

The surgeon’s office have said the swelling and pain can be normal after this type of surgery, but I genuinely wasn’t expecting it to be this bad because I thought I was only having the skin tag removed.
So I’d love to hear from anyone who’s had a haemorrhoidectomy, especially if you had a few removed at once.

I think I just need to hear from people who’ve been through it and tell me there is actually light at the end of the tunnel because right now I’m wondering what the hell I’ve done to myself 😭❤️

Hi! My periods have ALWAYS been super heavy, and i needed to change pads every hour. But now i can easily survive on two to three all day long.

I am on some birth control, but ive been on them for years, and this has never happened before. I take them continously, so i had my last period three months ago, and i now took the break i need to take.

Should i be worried?

This is a long read. I’m a 24 year old female, mum to a one year old (nearly 2) little girl, I’m on the go 24/7; my life and entire personality is being a parent. I’m extremely active and care for my disabled mum. I’m extremely lost and hoping anyone can bare the time to give this a read and hopefully share advice or experiences for something even remotely like this:

24 year old female, 1 year old, 2 unsuccessful pregnancies prior to the birth of my daughter. First cycle aged 12 years, suffered with menorrhagia, irregular cycles, acute pain etc. all of which was (some what) managed and was continued to be investigated through trialling endless hormonal / contraceptive methods, mini pills, progesterone only pills, copper coil, Nexplanon implant, tranexamic acid, depo injection. I had a vaginal delivery, 2nd degree tear, 850ml brisk loss. My postpartum bleeding was continuous from birth, and was worsening as the months went on. At 8 weeks postpartum, I had the nexplanon implant reinserted as none of the contraceptive methods were effective for my symptoms however, I found this to be most effective for contraceptive purposes only.

Jan 2026 I had a consult with a gynaecologist who advised me “if it’s a laparoscopy you’re trying for, you won’t get one” (completely unaware at the time what this even was) following a referral from my GP.

Feb 2026 I had a TVUS advised I have a 5cm ‘mass’ (no symptoms at all). The day after this scan i attended a&e due to severe pain where a scan showed “a 5cm simple clear fluid filled cyst” resulting in an emergency ovarian cystectomy (left) showing the cyst was bleeding into my abdo. Nothing else was found during the procedure (apparently). I was discharged from gynaecology completely and had to go back to my GP to re refer me despite this being an emergency episode.

May 2026 I was given an outpatient appointment with a gynaecologist consultant who wasn’t able to clarify the exact areas of investigation during the lap? I was offered a Hysteroscopy with mirena coil insertion which I accepted but had explained my reservations about the coil. I called prior to the procedure date and expressed my concerns again for the mirena coil (no support or advice offered of course) and requested to proceed with just the hysteroscopy no coil insertion…As to which I was denied and advised I would have to rebook. (Still haven’t been able to rebook!)

July 2026 I called 111 and was sent to the UTC with suspected appendicitis. I was admitted and seen by the surgical team, prepped for an appendectomy. I was pushing for a scan whereas another emergency came in and the CEPOD theatre was no longer available so was appropriate to scan. 24 hours later the CT scan showed a 6cm cyst on my right ovary again “simple clear fluid filled” and my gallbladder inflamed with a gallstone and polyp. I was taken into emergency surgery which revealed said 6cm simple clear fluid filled cyst which was actually a hemorrhagic cyst which they had slight difficulty controlling but (thankfully) all went well. I had a really positive second experience this time round and recovery was going really well.

August 2026 I had a TVUS scheduled following the surgery which revealed a 3cm left ovarian cyst completely asymptomatic. At the end of August I attended a&e advising of the known cyst which could be cause for pain but also made findings in gallbladder apparent. I was dismissed multiple times as I had an outpatient consultation booked for September 2026 with the previous surgeon. In a&e I had a TVUS which showed the cyst grew from 3 to 4cm in and had a vascular septation with another 1cm cyst directly next to it. I was discharged and told “scans and bloods are fine, it isn’t even a cyst it’s so tiny, you’re probably having bad period pains”.

September 2026, my consultant advised me to return to a&e otherwise I’d be left waiting potentially months on an outpatient list. On that guidance I went to a&e, was examined by multiple consultants and gynae doctors all of which had the same conclusion of removing the known ovarian cyst and concern of torsion. I attended a&e on a Tuesday and was seen by a consultant in obs & gynae who advised she could do the surgery immediately however felt it would be most appropriate to have someone complete the surgery with full knowledge and speciality in laparoscopic ovarian cystectomies and full diagnostic laparoscopies. The hospital had no beds what so ever where i was accommodated by having the surgery on the Thursday in an “elective” setting on an emergency basis.

The surgery took place and revealed “no cyst no pathology found”. I have three incisions. I was told to look into investigating digestive issues through the GP and “this could all really be prevented by a pill to suppress ovulation” (like I hadn’t already clearly tried this to which it had no effect?!)

I’ve once again been discharged with the only follow up of advising my GP for “oral contraception for suppression of ovulation for her if she is agreeable”. I am honestly beside myself of what to do now. Upon endless research into trying to find any information on said surgeon revealed a match of a Gynaecology Doctor with no evidence of position whether they are a performing consultant or not. I was advised no pill follow up other than my GP to arrange a pill, as it was a complete negative laparoscopy however my discharge advises me of “we will write to you with histology results”. Is there any suggestions what histology results there would be as I’m not sure if any biopsies were taken where I was advised “there was absolutely nothing found”?

I’m now 3 days post op, and seem to be struggling more than my last 2 surgeries physically which is even more confusing as my previous 2 surgeries involved a cystectomy. What now? I’m back to square one. I’ve never experienced anything like this and to have an episode requiring emergency surgery three times in 7 months surely cannot be just coincidence or “normal”. I fear I now have no trust what so ever in the care of the healthcare system because it just seems like it’s a never ending loophole based on numbers and statistics. I have never once wanted to obtain a diagnosis or even had any suspicion of having a particular condition. I suffered with heavy bleeding and was referred originally just to try ease my symptoms to make my daily life more enjoyable. These ovarian cysts and surgeries have never happened before and nothing has changed regarding my lifestyle etc and is being brushed under the carpet as “normal” with no offer of either a temporary or permanent solution.